Conventionally, a vehicular navigation apparatus detect a current vehicle position by using Global Positioning System (GPS) or the like, and navigates a vehicle to an intended destination by displaying a map that covers an area including the current vehicle position with a marking of the vehicle.
Further, the navigation apparatus searches a navigation route from the current position to the destination, and displays the searched route on the map by using a color different from a road color for providing a voice guidance along the route at, for example, an intersection or the like.
The navigation apparatus uses various methods for setting the destination. The methods include setting the destination based on a telephone number, an address, a name and the like. In Europe and United States, the address includes a street name, thereby necessitating an input of the street name for destination search by the address (refer to, for example, Japanese patent document JP-A-H06-251295 and JP-A-H09-212086). For representing the destination search by address, the name “address search” is used in the following.
Further, the navigation apparatus in Europe and the United States has a search method that uses two street names as inputs for identifying an intersection of the two streets. The search method with two street names is designated as an “intersection search” in the following.
The street name consists of plural parts, that is, a body part for representing a proper name of the street, a prefix/suffix part for representing a direction, an area of the street, and a street type part for representing a type of the street such as “Avenue”, “Road” or the like. The description in the following designates the representation of the street name by using the body, prefix/suffix, and street type as a formal street name, and designates the representation of the street name by using only the body as a body street name.
In conventional navigation apparatuses, a user is required for specifying, in the address search and the intersection search, the formal street name or the body street name depending on the kinds of the apparatuses. However, the street is generally recognized by its body name. In Europe and the United States, the address is often represented by only the body street name with the other parts being omitted (For example, street names on the sign boards on a roadside, invitation letters and the like).
When the navigation apparatus demands the formal street name as a requirement, only specifying the body street name does not work. Therefore, in Europe and the United States, the apparatus that allows the destination search only by specifying the body street name is preferred. For example, when the body street name is specified in the apparatus that demands the formal street name, the formal street names having the specified body name are listed. Then, the user chooses an intended street from among the listed ones. In this case, the user cannot perform the street search any longer when he/she does not know the formal street name.
On the contrary, when the navigation apparatus demands the body street name as a requirement, specifying the body name with other part does not lead to the street search, thereby enabling no street name list display. For example, when the street name printed on a name card is input, the formal street name on the name card will not work for the street search.